New Game Art Student

Hey, I just had my first maya foundations class yesterday, and holy moly I'm overwhelmed. Part of me is so excited about starting and has a bajillion ideas about what I can do, the other part is overwhelmed with what it takes to do anything. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on where to get started? (videos to watch, books to read, personal anecdotal advice) My professor is super chill and told us to explore but I don't know where to begin! Also, what type of laptop would run maya best, if I should make a desktop for it instead or if something like a Wacom tablet would be a good idea